2 million poll workers wanted for November elections

[sabra]

Source: USA Today

States and counties are putting out "help wanted" signs five months before Election Day in hopes of finding hundreds of thousands of younger, tech-savvy poll workers needed to handle an expected record turnout.

In many cases, workers don't even have to be old enough to vote.

With a one-day workforce of nearly 2 million poll workers wanted by November, election officials are busily recruiting at high schools, colleges and businesses. They're looking for people who can speak foreign languages or help voters with disabilities. They're making training more convenient and splitting long workdays in half.

"The first challenge is just in the sheer numbers," says Dean Logan, acting clerk of Los Angeles County, which needs 25,000 poll workers in the nation's most populous voting jurisdiction.

More than 122 million Americans voted in 2004, up from 105 million in 2000. The number is expected to jump again because of high interest in the White House contest, which drew near-record primary turnout on a percentage basis.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-06-08-pollworkers_N.htm

[babylonsister]

1. Rec'd. It's in all of our best interests to lend a hand this November.

I'm going to start looking around here to see where to volunteer; it's 'that' important!

[atreides1]

2. I'll at my Polling Place

I'm already an elections officer in Virginia.

[Maeve]

5. And I'm one in Ohio

:thumbsup:

[bdamomma]

3. it is our turn to step up to the plate.

[whistle]

4. How about exit polls to verify the poll results. these should be conducted across the country

...like they used to be right through to when the polls close

[Peace Patriot]

6. Well, there's irony in this, coming from Logan--since it was the expensive purchase

of highly unreliable, highly riggable, electronic voting systems that DROVE THE PEOPLE OUT OF THE PROCESS in the first place. NOW they want help because their goddamned riggable voting systems are so befuddling, so mysterious, so intimidating, and break down so often and inspire so much distrust, that they NEED millions of volunteers to make it SEEM efficient and smooth.

Logan is the hand-picked successor of Conny "Diebold" McCormack.

I'm not saying don't volunteer. God forbid! Election officials need to be watched every minute, as closely as possible, every step of the way, by as many people as possible. But don't expect them to invite you into the inner sanctum of the Diebold central tabulator, or even admit that it's Diebold. (Even that is kept a secret from L.A. voters--who, exactly, is 'counting' all their votes with 'TRADE SECRET,' PROPRIETARY programming code?)

We have to watch from the periphery, and get what info we ARE PERMITTED TO HAVE about the vote 'counting,' and try to prevent unfairness and intimidation of voters, and everything else we can do to protect the vote, in an egregiously non-transparent 'TRADE SECRET' system. Vigilance--and many eyes watching whatever we can watch--and a paper ballot backup (they have a sort of punchcard in L.A., but it's all 'counted' by Diebold in one place)--are somewhat preventative of election fraud. It's the best we can do this time, and I hope it's millions of us doing it. Exit polls (non-corporate) and careful analysis of results are also important.

As for L.A.--and any other system with a central tabulator--it is just wrong, and bad, and greatly enhances the potential for false counting, NOT to count the votes AT THE PRECINCT, and post the results there, BEFORE the optiscan ballots, punchcards, or memory cards go anywhere else.

[jaksavage]

11. I like this !!!

AT THE PRECINCT post the results there, BEFORE the optiscan ballots, punchcards, or memory cards go anywhere else.

[yellerpup]

7. I signed up Saturday.

K&R! :kick:

[liberal N proud]

8. I recently found out my company will give you the day

You don't have to use your vacation to work the election

[Thor_MN]

9. Not sure if all states have similar laws but in MN, 20 days notice gets you the day off

without loss of pay. I signed up at our local caucus, but have not heard anything back.

204B.195 TIME OFF FROM WORK TO SERVE AS ELECTION JUDGE.
An individual who is selected to serve as an election judge pursuant to section 204B.21,
subdivision 2 may, after giving an employer at least 20 days' written notice, be absent from a place of work for the purpose of serving as an election judge without penalty. An employer may reduce the salary or wages of an employee serving as an election judge by the amount paid to the election judge by the appointing authority during the time the employee was absent from the place of employment.
The written request to be absent from work must be accompanied by a certification from the
appointing authority stating the hourly compensation to be paid the employee for service as an election judge and the hours during which the employee will serve. An employer may restrict the number of persons to be absent from work for the purpose of serving as an election judge to no more than 20 percent of the total work force at any single worksite.
History: 1983 c 126 s 2; 1986 c 444; 1991 c 237 s 3

[Demeter]

10. You Can't Split the Hours Worked

In Michigan, the people who open the polls have to be the ones at the close--and there's constant rotation for lunch or dinner breaks so that no one party is in possession of the site at any time, just to prevent ooopses.

That's an 18 hour day if things get hot and heavy.

But I'm working it anyway. Thanks to George.